Blog Post # 6

What are personal learning Networks? How can they help you as a teacher? How are they formed? How can you create your own PLN? Who will be the first additions to your PLN?



Personal learning networks are a network of resources students and teachers can use to learn and grow. According to Steven Anderson, PLN's are a way for teachers and students to take the typical school based (PLC) or personal learning communities and expanding them to a global scale, including a virtual panel of experts from around the world. Learning will never again be confined to the limits within the four walls of a classroom/school.







In the future, a teacher will be a facilitator for children to connect and learn from professionals in any country. Teaching will get better as we as professionals become comfortable with the process of learning to make those valuable connections and utilize our ability to network with in our field and beyond. The possibilities are endless, given this new wave of technological applications for people to research, learn, and gain resources in an instant. The way teaching and learning is conducted will be changed for those willing to open the lines for communicating within the global stage. Children today are using this way of communicating everyday depending on which social media sites they are on or how frequently they use search engines. It will be the duty of the teacher to require they make good use of the internet and the plethora of resources increasingly available to us all. Michael Fawcett, throws down the gauntlet, challenges all teachers to maximize their potential for growth using PLN’s.







I plan on developing my PLN using the Twittersphere, Delicious, Symbaloo, PortaPortal and Blogger to connect to educators and participate in workshops/conferences around the globe. Twitter is a very convenient networking tool because there are recommendations based upon who a person follows. Said recommendations can provide users with an endless supply of possibilities for authentic opportunities for collaboration and instruction. Information can then be saved and stored in one place for quick access with technologies like Delicious and PortaPortal. What a wealth of knowledge we are privy to, all we have to do is show up!